Friday, February 26, 2016

A Day in Dublin

So this past Tuesday, I flew to Ireland to explore Dublin. I don't have classes on Tuesdays and flights to Dublin from London are pretty cheap (my flights there and back came out to just 30 pounds!) (thank you Ryanair!!) so I decided to just go for it. I also may or may not have gone alone- if my parents ask, I went with a friend, okay?? Anyway, I woke up a little later than planned so I rushed to get ready and took an Uber to Gatwick Airport during which I had a nice conversation about London versus. New York with my driver. The gate was closing at 9:10 and I arrived at Gatwick at 8:50, at which point I started running through the airport. It was like a scene from a movie except sweatier, somehow I made it to the gate right on time and was sitting in my window seat comfortably next to a nice sister & brother from San Francisco on holiday for a month. Flying is honestly one of my favorite things to do, it just feels incredible to be in sky, leaving the world behind. I think it's maybe because I waited so long to study abroad (most people at NYU go sophomore year) or maybe because I've always wanted to just run away from...well, everything, that flying makes me unbelievably happy. When I was little I used to wonder what it would be like to touch a cloud and for now, flying is the closest I can get to that- until I go skydiving (it's going to happen one day).

Spending a day in Dublin was actually easier than expected because the airport provides a bus service that you can purchase a 24 hour pass for, which is what I did. It cost 10 euros and took me all around the city. My only set destination was the Guinness Storehouse and the Airlink bus's last stop was only a few minutes walk from the storehouse so I was able to avoid getting lost (for the most part). The Guinness Storehouse is definitely a tourist trap but one I enjoyed. It has an extensive gift shop and several floors that serve as a museum to the history of Guinness, as well as a cafe, restaurant, and the Gravity Bar. Every ticket comes with a complimentary pint of Guinness that you can either get at the Gravity Bar, which is at the top floor of the storehouse and offers a beautiful 360 degree view of Dublin. The Gravity Bar is gorgeous and I loved being able to see the city from so high above. The other option is learn how to pour a perfect pint at the Guinness Academy, which is two floors below the Gravity Bar. This was the option I went with because I thought it'd be fun to learn / it might come in handy one day. I enjoyed getting to go behind the bar and try my hand at pouring a pint so I'd definitely recommend it to anyone thinking of visiting here.

I thought about trying to visit a few other sites but decided not to risk missing my flight. After grabbing dinner at the restaurant in the storehouse, I briefly got lost trying to walk back to the bus stop but hey, I found it eventually. The bus took me to see all the picturesque bridges in Dublin as well as a lot of the cathedrals and monuments so I felt like I got to see a lot of the city.

Although I only spent maybe 10 hours in Dublin, I definitely thought the trip was worth it. The flight was cheap, getting around was easy, and Dublin was gorgeous. I never knew Dublin was a city of the sea until I saw all the seagulls flying above in the sunny blue skies. If I went back, I think I would want to visit the coast this time to see the cliffs of Moher as well as Killeny Cliff which are both stunning. 10/10 recommend going if you're looking for somewhere to visit for a day!